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that; during my first stay in the city; over forty years before;



nearly all the main buildings were of brick and stucco; whereas



there had now been a remarkable change from stucco to stone and



to a much nobler style of architecture。 We also discussed the



standing of Germans in America and their relations to the United



States。 On my remarking that it was just eighteen years and one



day since the first Emperor William had received me as minister



in that same palace; he spoke of various things in the history of



the intervening years; and then ensued an episode such as I had



hardly expected。 For just before leaving New York my old friend



Frederick William Holls; after a dinner at his house on the



Hudson; had given his guests examples of the music written by



Frederick the Great; and one piece had especially interested us。



It was a duet in which Mr。 Holls played one part upon the organ;



and his wife another upon the piano; and all of us were greatly



impressed by the dignity and beauty of the whole。 It had been



brought to light and published by the present Emperor; and after



the performance some one of the party remarked; in a jocose way;



〃You should express our thanks to his Majesty; when you meet him;



for the pleasure which this music has given us。〃 I thought



nothing more of the subject until; just at the close of the



conversation above referred to; it came into my mind; and on my



mentioning it the Emperor showed at once a special interest;



discussing the music from various points of view; and on my



telling him that we were all surprised that it was not



amateurish; but really profound in its harmonies and beautiful in



its melodies; he dwelt upon the musical debt of Frederick the



Great to Bach and the special influence of Bach upon him。 This



conversation recurred to me later; when the Emperor; in erecting



the statue to Frederick the Great on the Avenue of Victory;



placed on one side of it the bust of Marshal Schwerin; and on the



other that of Johann Sebastian Bach; thus honoring the two men



whom he considered most important during Frederick's reign。







After presenting my embassy secretaries and attaches; military



and naval; I was conducted with them into the presence of the



Empress; who won all our hearts by her kindly; unaffected



greeting。 On my recalling her entrance into Berlin as a bride; in



her great glass coach; seventeen years before; on one of the



coldest days I ever knew; she gave amusing details of her stately



progress down the Linden on that occasion; and in response to my



congratulations upon her six fine boys and her really charming



little daughter; it was pleasant to see how







 〃One touch of nature makes the whole world kin;〃







her eyes lighting up with pride and joy; and her conversation



gladly turning to the children。







It may be added here that the present Empress seems to have



broken the unfortunate spell which for about half a century hung



over the queens and empresses of the house of Hohenzollern。 I



remember well that; among the Germans whom I knew in my



Berlin…University days; all the sins of the period; political and



religious; seemed to be traced to the influence of Queen



Elizabeth; the consort of the reigning King Frederick William IV;



and that; during my first official stay in the same capital as



minister; a similar feeling was shown toward the Empress Augusta;



in spite of her most kindly qualities and her devotion to every



sort of charitable work; and that the crown princess; afterward



the Empress Frederick; in spite of all her endowments of head and



heart; was apparently more unpopular than either of her two



predecessors。 But the present Empress seems to have changed all



this; and; doubtless; mainly by her devotion to her husband and



her children; which apparently excludes from her mind all care



for the great problems of the universe outside her family。 So



strong is this feeling of kindness toward her that it was comical



to see; at one period during my stay; when she had been brought



perilously near a most unpopular course of action; that everybody



turned at once upon her agent in the matter; saying nothing about



her; but belaboring him unmercifully; though he was one of the



most attractive of men。







These presentations being finished; our return to the Kaiserhof



Hotel was made with the same ceremony as that with which we had



come to the palace; and happy was I when all was over。







Of the other official visits at this time; foremost in importance



was that to the chancellor of the empire; Prince Hohenlohe。



Although he was then nearly eighty years old and bent with age;



his mind in discussing public matters was entirely clear。 Various



later conversations with him also come back to meone;



especially; at a dinner he gave at the chancellor's palace to



President Harrison。 On my recalling the fact that we were in the



room where I had first dined with Bismarck; Prince Hohenlohe gave



a series of reminiscences of his great predecessor; some of them



throwing a strong light upon his ideas and methods。 On one



occasion; at my own table; he spoke very thoughtfully on German



characteristics; and one of his remarks surprised me: it was that



the besetting sin of the Germans is envy (Neid); in which remark



one may see a curious tribute to the tenacity of the race; since



Tacitus justified a similar opinion。 He seemed rather melancholy;



but he had a way of saying pungent things very effectively; and



one of these attributed to him became widely known。 He was



publicly advocating a hotly contested canal bill; when an



opponent said; 〃You will find a solid rock in the way of this



measure〃; to which the chancellor rejoined; 〃We will then do with



the rock as Moses did: we will smite it and get water for our



canal。〃







As to the next visit of importance; I was especially glad to find



at the Foreign Office the newly appointed minister; Baron (now



Count) von Bulow。 During the first part of my former stay; as



minister; I had done business at the Foreign Office with his



father; and found him in every respect a most congenial



representative of the German Government。 It now appeared that



father and son were amazingly like each other; not only in



personal manner; but in their mode of dealing with public



affairs。 With the multitude of trying questions which pressed



upon me as ambassador during nearly six years; it hardly seems



possible that I should be still alive were it not for the genial;



hearty intercourse; at the Foreign Office and elsewhere; with



Count von Bulow。 Sundry German papers; indeed; attacked him as



yielding to much to me; and sundry American papers attacked me



for yielding too much to him; but both of us exerted ourselves to



do the best possible; each for his own country; and at the same



time to preserve peace and increase good feeling。







Interesting was it to me; from my first to my last days in



Berlin; to watch him in the discharge of his great duties;



especially in his dealings with hostile forces in Parliament。 No



contrast could be more marked than that between his manner and



that of his great predecessor; the iron chancellor。 To begin



with; no personalities could be more unlike。 In the place of an



old man; big; rumbling; heavy; fiery; minatory; objurgatory;



there now stood a young man; quiet; self…possessed; easy in



speech; friendly in manner; 〃sweet reasonableness〃 apparently his



main characteristic; bubbling at times with humor; quick to turn



a laugh on a hostile bungler; but never cruel; prompt in



returning a serious thrust; but never venomous。 Many of his



speeches were masterpieces in their way of handling opponents。 An



attack which Bismarck would have met with a bludgeon; Bulow



parried with weapons infinitely lighter; but in some cases really



more effective。 A very good example was on an occasion when the



old charge of 〃Byzantinism〃 was flung at the present regime; to



which he replied; not by a historical excursus or political



disquisition; but by humorously deprecating a comparison of the



good; kindly; steady…going; hard…working old privy councilors and



other state officials of Berlin with fanatics; conspirators; and



assassins who played leading parts at Constantinople during the



decline of the Eastern Empire。 In the most stormy discussions I



never saw him other than serene; under real provocation he



remained kindly; more than one bitter opponent he disarmed with a



retort; but there were no poisoned wounds。 The German Parliament;



left to itself; can hardly be a peaceful body。 The lines of



cleavage between parties are many; and some of them are old



chasms of racial dislike and abysses of religious and social



hate; but the appearance of the young chancellor at his desk



seemed; even on the darkest days; to bring sunshine。







Occasionally; during my walks in the Thiergarten; I met him on



his way to Parliament; and; no matter how pressing public



business might be; he found time to extend his walk and prolong



our discussions。 On one of these walks I alluded to a hot debate



of the day before and to his suavity under provocation; when he



answered: 〃Old ; many years ago; gave me two counsels; and I



have always tried to mind them。 These were: 'Never worry; never



lose your temper。' 〃







A pet phrase among his critics is that he is a diplomatist and



no
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